We all see them: older women in their 70s and 80s, with sharp memories, sparkling wit, clear purpose, and energy that many people decades younger envy.
Scientists call these people SuperAgers, those who age in body, but hold on to cognitive strength, emotional resilience, and overall well-being far beyond what is typical. Research shows that SuperAgers don’t just avoid decline – their brains often look younger: less shrinkage, more connectivity where others lose it, and strong performance on memory, attention, and thinking tasks.
The good news? We may not be able to control everything (genes, for instance), but many of the habits that appear to underpin super aging are under our influence.
Here are seven habits that SuperAgers tend to share… and the seventh might surprise you!
Habit 1: Strong Social Connection
One of the most consistent features among SuperAgers is their web of meaningful relationships. They stay socially engaged with friends, family, neighbours, community groups. These connections provide emotional support, mental stimulation, shared purpose, and protect against loneliness. Studies show that people with strong social networks tend to have slower cognitive decline.
Humans are social creatures. Conversation, laughter, shared challenges – all of that keeps the brain growing and adapting.
Habit 2: Lifelong Learning and Mental Challenge
SuperAgers don’t “rest” their minds. They learn new skills, read, solve puzzles or crosswords, pick up new hobbies – even later in life. It’s not just about doing memory drills; it’s about staying curious and pushing beyond comfort zones.
The brain thrives when challenged. New learning encourages formation of new neural connections; novelty sparks more brain activity. SuperAgers tend to engage in activities that demand mental flexibility and adaptation.
Habit 3: Physical Movement and Regular Exercise
Physical movement is a cornerstone. Walking, gardening, dancing, swimming – whatever keeps their body active. Exercise improves blood circulation, delivers oxygen, supports cardiovascular health, controls blood sugar, reduces inflammation – all of which are deeply connected to brain health.
SuperAgers often maintain mobility and stamina, which helps with independence and also with mental health. The benefits of exercise for mood (via endorphins and better sleep) also feed into cognitive sharpness.
Habit 4: Sleep Quality and Restorative Rest
Sleep isn’t a luxury – it’s essential. SuperAgers tend to protect their sleep: sticking to regular patterns, limiting disruptions, avoiding things that disturb deep sleep. Deep, restorative sleep supports memory consolidation and helps the brain clear out metabolic waste (including beta‐amyloid, implicated in Alzheimer’s disease).
Sleep disruptions (frequent wakings, insufficient deep sleep) are associated with worse memory, brain fog, mood declines. SuperAgers often prioritize sleep hygiene: a dark, quiet environment; reducing screen time before bed; calming routines.
Habit 5: Nutrition and Eating to Support the Brain
SuperAgers generally eat patterns that support steady energy, low inflammation, and healthy metabolism. Think Mediterranean-style: plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats (olive oil, nuts), limited processed foods and sugars.
They avoid extremes: crash diets, over‐indulgence, or chronically high sugar loads. Stable blood sugar, good micronutrients, and anti‐inflammatory nutrients help protect brain tissue over decades.
Habit 6: Living with Purpose and Autonomy
SuperAgers often report having strong reasons to get up in the morning. Purpose can come from volunteer work, creative pursuits, family, mentoring, community involvement. Also, maintaining independence – making your own choices, staying mobile, staying active in life.
Purpose gives psychological resilience. It helps buffer stress, reduce anxiety and depression, and seems to be correlated with lower risk of cognitive decline and even longer lifespans.
Habit 7: They Limit or Quit Alcohol – The Brain and Body Benefit
This is the habit many of us overlook, but growing evidence suggests that limiting alcohol – or quitting altogether – can deliver outsized benefits for longevity, brain health, mood, and aging well.
The Costs of Drinking, Even Moderately
Two glasses of wine a night may feel relaxing, but over time they add up – and research is pointing to multiple risks:
Sleep Disruption
Alcohol impairs restorative sleep. It interferes with REM sleep and deep sleep, causes night‐waking. You may fall asleep faster, but quality suffers. Disrupted sleep undermines memory consolidation and brain repair.
Cognitive Fog and Mental Health
Alcohol is a depressant. Though there may be short‐term relief from anxiety, over time it worsens mood and increases risk of depression or anxiety. The “morning after” effects of alcohol – brain fog, low energy – add up.
Physical Aging and Weight Gain
Alcohol adds “empty” calories. The body will prioritize metabolizing alcohol before burning fat or dealing with other metabolic tasks. Even if you are dieting or exercising, alcohol can set you back. It also stresses the liver, affects hormone balance, influences skin aging.
Increased Risk of Chronic Disease
Regular alcohol use raises risk of hypertension, stroke, certain cancers, liver disease, all of which are risk factors for cognitive decline.
The Benefits of Cutting Back or Deciding Not to Drink
Sharper Memory and Mental Clarity
Without alcohol’s sedating or mist-inducing effects, the brain can consolidate memories better; fewer mornings of “fuzzy recall.”
Improved Sleep
More deep sleep, better REM, fewer disturbances, which over time, promotes brain repair, hormonal balance, better mood, lower risk of memory problems.
More Energy, Better Physical Health
The effects on physical health are profound:
- less metabolic burden,
- improved cardiovascular function,
- better immune system,
- skin looks better,
- hormones are more stable,
- weight is easier to manage.
Mood Stabilisation
Less of the highs and lows; better ability to manage anxiety or depression.
Long-Term Brain Protection
Among the benefits for years to come are preserving brain volume, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress; potentially lowering risk of neurodegenerative disease.
Across both the SuperAger research and the “Stay Younger Longer…” perspective, what emerges is that alcohol, even at moderate levels, often undermines multiple other habits.
You can eat well, you can exercise, but if you keep drinking regularly, some of the gains are eroded.
Putting It Together: A Life Aligned with Super Aging
These seven habits reinforce each other. For example: better sleep supports emotional regulation and physical recovery, which supports movement and mental challenge; being alcohol-free or low-alcohol reduces sleep disruption, inflammation, and gives more mental clarity; social connection supports mental health, which makes it easier to maintain purpose, stick to good nutrition, movement, etc.
If you adopt more of these habits in your 60s, and 70s, you increase chances not just of living longer, but of living stronger, sharper, and more joyfully.
In Conclusion
SuperAgers are not rare miracles; they are people who, through a combination of habits, mindset, and sometimes sheer resilience, manage to preserve what many assume to be lost with age. Their habits – social connection, learning, movement, good sleep, nourishing food, purpose – all seem to build toward one thing: preserving brain health and life energy.
Habit 7 – limiting or quitting alcohol – is especially powerful because alcohol tends to undermine many other habits. By choosing to reduce or remove alcohol from your life, you may unlock restorative gains in sleep, memory, mood, energy, and long-term brain health.
Breaking Free – Your Path to Super Aging
If Habit 7, the decision to limit or quit alcohol, feels daunting or overwhelming, you’re not alone. It’s one thing to recognize that alcohol may be holding you back; it’s another to change your relationship with it.
That’s exactly why we created Breaking Free: a 3-month guided program designed to help you:
- Understand your drinking patterns, triggers, and the “why” behind them.
- Learn evidence-based strategies to reduce or stop alcohol use in a way that’s sustainable and aligned with your values.
- Build or strengthen other SuperAger habits – better sleep, nutrition, movement, purpose, social connection – so that quitting or reducing alcohol becomes part of a positive, life-affirming transformation, not a sacrifice.
- Join a community of people doing the same thing; share wins, challenges, support one another.
Breaking Free starts on 28th September! Click here to learn more about the program.
Here’s to living sharper, stronger, and longer.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Are you a SuperAger? Do you take regular breaks from alcohol to improve your health and test your dependence? What benefits do you experience during an alcohol-free period? Are you tempted by the alcohol-free lifestyle? Have you tried to take a break but felt like you were missing out?
